The Ones You Love
by Cordelia Chase
Summary: What seemed to be an ordinary day at the Hyperion ends up being a nightmare. What will happen when Buffy comes to visit?
1. Default Chapter

"I know, I know," Cordelia muttered as the rushed through the Hyperion doors. "I'm late," She walked toward Wesley's office, her hairs still wet from her shower.  
  
" Someone running late, I see," Wesley stated as he flipped through his book, not even bothering to look up at Cordelia. That was his daily task, doing research and giving a purpose for those old dusty books in the basement. Before, checking the mail was also on his "to-do" list, but ever since Fred came and became an official part of the Angel Investigations team, that job was crossed off his list. Wesley thought Fred was an extra-ordinary woman, and he found himself falling for her every time she walked through his sight.  
  
" Yes, Mr. I-state-the-obvious. I took a shower," Cordelia spoke as she sat down on a leather swivel chair in front of Wesley's desk.  
  
"Ah... Someone spending quality time with the loofah I presume?" He finally looked up from his early morning research and snickered.  
  
Cordelia Placed her hands on her hip ands pursed her lips, sending Wesley an "I-don't-think-so" look at him, "No, actually I was sitting here waiting for a `hot" co-worker to make a move," she shook her head, "No wait! That's you..." Ouch! Cordelia was right. Wesley admitted to himself. Winning Fred's heart was getting harder and harder to achieve, not to mention Gunn, who was already ahead by a kiss or so. Wesley shrugged and closed his book, taking a brief break from his hard study. Cordelia looked around the office, "Speaking of, where's Fred?"  
  
As if on cue, Fred walked down the stairs with Connor in her arms. Angel nervously followed watching Fred's every move. "Careful! Make sure to support hea-"  
  
" Calm down, won't ya!" The small Texan girl interrupted Angel's efforts to lecture her on the `rules of baby-sitting' making her way into Wesley's office, "Morning Y'all."  
  
"Morning Fred," both Wesley and Cordelia answered in unison. Cordy looked at Connor of smiled. Wesley looked at Fred and smiled.  
  
"Cordelia, you ready?" Fred asked, rocking Connor back and forth.  
  
"Yea. I'm just gonna get my cell phone," Cordelia walked out of the office, bumping into Angel as he made his way inside the office.  
  
"Where are you going?" Angel crosses his arms and asked Fred, as if he was a father and his teenage daughter was going out on a `first' date.  
  
"Cordelia's taking me shopping," Fred said as she places Connor in Angel's arms and put on her red cotton jacket, "we're going to the mall!" Fred smiled, although Cordelia and her have been shopping before, she never took her shopping at the mall.  
  
"When will you get back?" A crisp British accent asked.  
  
"Around five, or when the sun sets. You know Cordelia and shopping..." Fred giggled a bit, " Why do ya ask?"  
  
Wesley's face lit up with hope, "I was hoping you would assist me in researching this ancient Archaic text." Wow, very romantic Wesley. He thought to himself. Cordelia was right, I'm good with research, but the subject of girls isn't quite the proper subject I would be able to major in. " A-and may be we can both have a cup of cof- "  
  
"Well I don't know exactly how long we will be at the mall, Why don't you ask Charles to help you with the research. He's very talented ya know."  
  
"Oh yes, quite alright," his smile faded away as he glanced back at his book, turning the pages to where he once was researching. Since when did Gunn become all Mr. Talented? Wesley though to himself.  
  
Cordelia made her way back into the office, "Ready?" She put on her coat and smiles enthusiastically.  
  
"Yep!" Fred exclaimed.  
  
They both walked out the door, Fred first, Cordy following shortly behind. "We won't be long," Cordy stated before finally leaving. Angel stood by Wesley's office watching then leave off into the sunlight. If only ... his mind began to drift off.  
  
"Angel?" Wesley's voice was heard calling from his office.  
  
" Yea?" Angel answered snapping out of this reverie.  
  
" I've been meaning to talk to you..."  
  
~ Meanwhile, Back in Sunnydale ~  
  
" Bloody Hell!"  
  
" I don't see what point your trying to stress out by complaining," Buffy stated as she sat up from spike bed, putting on her shirt. "You get some. I get some. I'm happy. You're not," she stood up and looked for her pants.  
  
"You don't understand," Spike rose from his bed and wrapped the bed sheets around his waist. He found her pants and tossed it to her casually is if they did this everyday, which looking back on it now, that statement was true.  
  
Buffy caught her pants and put them on, " No, I understand perfectly." He brushed her hair out with her fingers and headed towards the direction of the door.  
  
Spike grabbed her arms and forced her to turn around, "No, you don't. Buffy, I love you."  
  
Buffy shook away from his grasp and looked into his eyes, " Don't say that! You can't! You don't have a soul. You don't know how to love!" The turned away trying to get this over with as soon as possible.  
  
" So are you trying to tell me that all of this... You and me. This all meant nothing?" He motioned toward the empty air between them, hoping that some way there was something between them.  
  
" You wouldn't understand."  
  
" Then explain to me, slayer. Tell me why."  
  
She looked at the door, " I can't."  
  
" So what, love? Are you gonna run away from your problems? Are you gonna leave? Leave me? Leave Red, the Scoobies? Leave lil' bit?"  
  
Buffy took time to think of her decision. "Then stop me." She spin-kicked the door open, sending the sunlight streaming into the crypt.  
  
"Bloody Hell!" She staggered back into the dark part of his home. " You always hurt the one you love." He watched her walk off into the sunlight. Only if ...   
  
~ Los Angeles ~  
  
"Wesley, Cordelia is just a friend, someone I work with, nothing more," Angel objected. Am I that obvious? Is there a sign on my forehead telling everyone how I feel? "I have no idea what you talking about."  
  
" Oh come on, Angel, the way that you look at her? It makes Gunn and I want to call the nearest animal shelter to put you out of your misery." Wesley stood up from his desk and walked to the lobby.  
  
Angel followed Wesley closely behind, feeling his forehead, checking if there was in fact a post-it stuck onto his face. "I don't look at her like tha-"  
  
" No, of course not. What was I thinking?" Wesley stated sarcastically.  
  
"Even if that is true, I'm not the only one who is love sick around here," Angel coughed, " um... Fred?"  
  
Wesley looked down at the floor. He felt as if his secret was known through out the world. Cordelia was wrong. He thought to himself. I am obvious. " Well, lets just forget we had that little talk of ours and just pretend it didn't happen." Wesley tried to laugh his way out of this conversation. Just then Gunn walked through the hotel doors.  
  
"Hey y'all," Gunn placed a bag of food with the IHOP logo on it. " I come bearing pancakes and such," he laughed and pulled out 4 containers out of the bag. He opened one container and the scent of freshly baked pancakes roamed throughout the place. He opened the other container and another stack of pancakes was revealed, but this one was special. These pancakes had syrup and nice strawberries placed on the top, in the shape of a happy face.  
  
Angel took al look at the pancakes, " I don't supposed those are for me?" Angel smiled a rare smile. Connor giggled.  
  
" No, these are for Fred. Pancakes made just the way she like them, with strawberry syrup!" Gunn announced proudly.  
  
" I'm glad you've accomplished something while you were here," Wesley gave a cold remark, glancing at the pancakes and watching the oozing syrup fall down to the sides. Pancakes with syrup, how come I couldn't think of that?   
  
~ A few hours later ~  
  
Angel walks wandering around the hotel lobby wondering where Fred and Cordelia were. He found himself pacing back and forth aimlessly, or to what Cordelia call it, he was brooding. He couldn't help it. I was his nature to brood. He walked into Wesley's office and saw Wesley researching and Gunn trying to help.  
  
"I think the bird looking thing means `hope'," Gunn declared pointing at the symbol on the old dusty book.  
  
" According to my calculations, the `bird-looking-thing' means suffering," Wesley argued, placing his book directly on top of the book Gunn was holding.  
  
" They aren't back yet," Angel stated as he walked into the office watching them argue. He placed his hips and looked back and forth at Wesley and Gunn.  
  
" Maybe they watched a movie," Gunn said as he took Wesley's chair and sat on it.  
  
" If they did watch a movie, they would have called, rather than causing this whole `thing' to happen," Angel motioned toward Wesley and Gunn who are now paying no attention to him whatsoever. They were fighting over who got authority of sitting on the leather chair.  
  
" I was sitting down," Wesley stated.  
  
" You stood up."  
  
" For a moment, then I-"  
  
" But you stood up!"  
  
" Hello?" A woman's voice echoed through the lobby.  
  
" They're back!" Angel said joyously. He looked at Gunn and Wesley. " So, how what you day at the ma-" Angel walked into the lobby and saw something he didn't expect. "Oh my God, Buffy."  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
Please Read and Review, tell me if this story is worth continuing. TY 


	2. UnExpected

"Come on now!" Spike sat in his blacked-out Desoto in the driver's seat. He's been sitting there for the past twenty minutes trying to make the engine run. After all the attempts, the cars just managed to let out a purr but not even bother to move an inch. Full with anger, Spike vamped out, letting his demon-shape take form. He raised him arm and punched his fist into the air conditioning vent.  
  
"Bloody hell!" He pulled his hand out and watched the blood drip onto his pants. Due to his vampire strength, the wound healed in an instant. Spike decided to give it one more try. " Work, you blasted piece of cr-" suddenly the engine began to work. "Hmm," A smirk on his face turned into an evil grin. "Nancy boy and his slayer bitch is gonna get a visit from their old pal Spike." He drove off.  
  
~ Back in LA~  
  
Gunn and Wesley both walked into the main room. From the other end of the lobby, they watched Angel in the distance.  
  
"Dang, Who's that chick?" Gunn whispered to Wesley. As he looked at the blonde girl talking to Angel. He thought that she was really cute. He had to admit of Fred and he weren't an item he would be all over that girl at this very moment.  
  
"Ah," Wesley let out a confused sigh. "Honestly I really don't know," He answered his question, as he squinted his eye hoping to get a better view of the blonde woman that caught Angel's attention immediately the moment she walked into the building. Wesley rocked back and forth trying to see the face of the girl. He sort of resembled a penguin that was getting ready to jump into the icy cold water. "If I were to take a wild guess, that girl, she looks a lot like…"  
  
"B-Buffy," Angel shifted nervously, " What are you doing here?" Angel crossed his arms. He really didn't know why she was there. He didn't know if she just came by to visit or if there was an emergency. Now he began to panic. What if there was an emergency? He thought for a moment. What if someone got injured? Willow? Xander. Oh my god, Dawn. He shook off the thought and asked the same question. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well, it was nice seeing you also," Buffy said sarcastically.  
  
Gunn watched in surprise from the other end of the room. "I-Is that…?" Gunn asked, unable to complete the full question.  
  
"Buffy?" Wesley completed his question with a nod. "Ah yes, that is the infamous slayer."  
  
"Cool," Gunn remark taking a step closer in the direction in which Buffy and Angel stood. But before he could been seen, Wesley grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled back were he couldn't be seen.  
  
"I suggest we should leave then two alone," Wesley commented taking his grip off of Gunn's shoulder. "The have a lot of catching up to do."  
  
"Right," Gunn to a step back.  
  
And with that, they both grabbed their jackets and exited the hotel's back exit.  
  
"I'm sorry. Its just…you…uh…I. This is so…unexpected," Angel scratched his head. He was confused himself. He and Buffy have been away for quite a while, and well, things change…in a while. He couldn't even make a list of things that have changed. Oh my god, Connor. Angel remembered his son, and how Buffy didn't even know about him. What will she think? Angel crossed his arms to prevent himself from falling over from too much stress. Okay, I'll just play this one out, and maybe she won't even find out.  
  
"Yeah, I know," Buffy admitted as she walked down the steps of the main entrance an onto the lobby floor. She looked around the huge hotel. Wow, she thought. How can he afford all of this? She walked around the lobby. "Um…Are you busy?"  
  
" Actually," Angel walked into Wesley's office. " Wesley and Gunn are…" He looked around the empty office, "…not here at the moment." He looked around the room making sure they weren't hiding under the desk or behind the door. He saw the full cup of coffee sitting on the desk. He steam was still rising from the tip of the mug. They were here a few minutes ago. He let out a sigh of un-needed breath. Great just what I need, alone time, with my ex. He paced back into the lobby, " Not to be rude, but What are you doing here?"  
  
"Angel," Buffy took a step closer towards him. She never looked so anxious or afraid at the same time. She looked as if she was tired or needed something. She looked incomplete. " I need to ask you a favor."  
  
~ Somewhere in LA ~ a few hours later  
  
" You have to admit, you had fun," Cordelia sat in the driver's seat of Angel's convertible. Her short blonde hair was blowing in the wind as she drove past the streets of LA. The few of the Los Angeles building looked much better from a convertible, especially with the top-down.  
  
"Yea," Fred murmured as she sat in the passenger seat right next to Cordelia's. She shifted around in her seat trying to look out of the convertible, but unable to do so, because of the ton of shopping bags surrounding her, in which most of the bags belonging to Cordelia. She pushed the shopping bags on her lap onto the floor by her feet. Better my feet then my lap. Fred though as the view of the city lights finally came to view.  
  
" I think we should be heading back," Cordelia made a right turn. In less than five minutes the hotel cam be seen in the distance.  
  
"We're here!" Cordelia parked the car in front of the hotel. She was right, they just got there right in time for the sunset. She stepped out of the car and grabbed her purse and most of her shopping bags. With her hands full of item, she couldn't reach the rest of her shopping loot.  
  
" Let me get those," Fred giggled and grabbed the rest of the shopping bags sitting on the bag of the car. Because Cordelia's hands were full, Fred opened that door of the hotel, allowing Cordelia to get inside first.  
  
"Thanks," Cordelia said as she stepped inside, "Angel! We're back. Like what I just said, In time too!" She stepped down the stairs and looked around the empty lobby. "Angel?"  
  
" Hey Cordy," Angel walked out of Wesley's office. " I see you had a lot of shopping," Angel commented, rocking back and forth nervously.  
  
" Well yea, sale at Robinson's May isn't just something that I can leave in the open," She said jokingly. She looked up at him. Instantly she new something was wrong, "Angel, what's wrong? You seem a little uneasy." She brought her arms down, still holding onto her shopping bags.  
  
"You promise not to freak out or anything?"  
  
" Don't give me a reason to," Cordelia protested, as she lifted her arms once more bringing her hands full of shopping bags back up to where they once were.  
  
"Someone came by to pay a visit…"  
  
"Oh? Who?" Cordelia smiles and looked around the lobby. Her face lit up with anticipation.  
  
" Hey Cordy!" Buffy walked out of Wesley's office and waved a Cordelia.  
  
Cordelia turned around. She dropped all of her shopping bags in shock and disbelief. This is so not what I expected. 


End file.
